The Best Laid Plans
by TartBabeLover
Summary: When Stephanie's relationship with Joe ends she thinks she's ready to begin something new with Ranger. The only problem is that he isn't interested in relationships. When a friend comes up with a plan to help her get her man, will she finally get her someday? Or will she realize that maybe someday wasn't really what she wanted?
1. Girl's Night Out

_A/N: Okay, here it is. I hope you guys like this one!_

Chapter 1 – Girl's Night Out

"White girl you better get your white ass up!"

I groaned and pulled my blanket over my head trying to block out the sounds of Lula screaming over my answering machine.

"I mean it girl. Connie and I will be by to pick you up in two hours. You better be dressed because we're going to have a girl's night out. You need some happy after the past week." And she hung up.

I sighed into my pillow and threw it off the bed. I knew better than to ignore her order. If I wasn't dressed and out of bed by the time Lula got here then she would just shoot off my lock and drag me to the club in my pajamas.

I glanced at the clock and noticed it was just after 7 and I must have fallen asleep after stumbling home from the bonds office this afternoon. The last thing I remembered was lying in my bed in my thinking position trying to figure out how my life had ended up such a mess.

I forced myself out of my bed and tripped over a laundry basket as I tried to exit my bedroom. When I bent over to move it I couldn't help but feel my heart break again. It was my 'Joe' basket. The basket that was constantly being moved between my apartment and his as we went between our on again and off again stages, but this time it was home for good. There wouldn't be any new on again stages.

I sighed and kicked it across the floor watching as it bounced off the wall and toppled over spilling its contents all over my bedroom floor. I knew I should go over and clean it up, but I just couldn't find it in myself to care. So instead I just left it there and moved into the bathroom ripping my clothes off and jumping into the shower.

I stood silently with my head under the spray allowing the hot water to trickle down my skin and help me to wake up. It wasn't long until my small hot water heater began to run out of hot water and I was forced to rush through the rest of my shower to keep from freezing.

Once my shower was done I spent a few minutes doing a fast wax and applying some minimal make up before walking into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water. I wasn't generally a water drinker, but it was a habit Bobby had gotten me into when I started going out with the guys on Friday nights. I had learned that if I started with a bottle of water and drank one between each of my drinks then I didn't get a massive hangover the next morning. I also tended to be less of a light weight.

My phone rang again and I glanced at the caller ID to see it was my mom calling. There was no way I was answering that tonight. There was no doubt in my mind that the 'Burg grapevine had somehow managed to pick up on the final break up between Joe and I. The last thing I needed was to fight with my mother over whether or not I needed to force myself to be the perfect 'Burg clone and start my life with the only man who seemed willing to settle down with me.

The answering machine beeped and my mother's voice cut through the silence of my apartment.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum! How dare you break poor Joseph's heart again! If you ever want another pineapple upside down cake you will drive over there right now and make it up to him. I expect you to be married by the end of the year."

I heard the click of her hanging up and let out the breath I'd been holding. Honestly, for my mother that was pretty mild. I'd been expecting worse. I finished guzzling the bottle of water and tossed it into the recycling bin before moving back into my room to find something to wear.

I wasn't really in the mood for dancing with strange men so I just settled for a pair of low rising jeans which hugged my curves and a black sequined tank which I paired with a pair of peep toe black FMPs.

I had just slipped on my shoes when Lula started banging on the door. I made my way over to it and when I opened the door to let her in and couldn't help but wish I had her confidence. She was wearing a lime green micro mini skirt that was two sizes too small and a bright pink tube top. It wasn't a style that would work with anyone else, but for Lula it did.

She looked me up and down with a critical eye before sighing. "You sure you don't want to let me know what happened between you and supercop? You know I won't judge."

I did know that, but I just wasn't ready to think about it yet. "I will, but not tonight. I'm ready to forget tonight."

"That I can definitely help with!"

I laughed at her enthusiasm and grabbed my license and some cash before stuffing them both in a small black wristlet. Then I followed her out and into Connie's waiting black Honda Accord.

An hour later, Lula and Connie were well on their way to being wasted, but I just couldn't get my heart into it. I was a little buzzed, but nowhere near the level of wasted I normally was by this point.

Connie tapped my shoulder and pointed to the other side of the room and I couldn't help but grin.

Apparently a few of the Merry Men had also chosen to go out tonight as well. I could see Tank clearly from this side of the room as well as Lester, Woody, Zero, and Manny.

Lester noticed us and gestured to the guys and they made their way over to our table. Tank threw his arm around Lula and said, "Well, I think we found some dance partners!"

Lula blushed and led him away leaving the rest of the guys to surround the table. Lester sat down next to me and waved down one of the girls selling jello shots, when she managed to make her way over to us her bought her whole tray then flirted with her until she gave up her phone number as well.

Once she was gone I elbowed him in the ribs and grabbed us each a shot, "You're such a man whore, Les. Do you even keep track of how many phone numbers you've managed to get off innocent girls?"

He rolled his eyes and threw back his shot when I did. "She was anything but innocent, Beautiful."

Manny laughed and handed me another shot, "Les doesn't do innocent, wifey. He likes his women to have experience in how to please him."

I rolled my eyes at them. "You guys are horrible."

They laughed and then Lester threw back one more shot before standing, "I think I might see my bed buddy for the night. Remember kids, there is safety in numbers."

The guys laughed and Zero pulled me from my chair leading me onto the dance floor. For the next few hours the guys passed me around until I couldn't dance anymore. Lula had taken off with Tank, Connie had surprisingly left with Zero, and Les had picked up some random girl at the bar.

I collapsed into the chair at our table feeling a happy buzz settle over me. "One of you guys is going to have to take me home since my ride ditched me."

Woody laughed and threw his arm around my shoulders. "I'll take you. Manny's meeting up with his girlfriend when she gets off work."

I looked over at Manny, "You have a girlfriend? Does this mean we have to get a divorce?"

Manny laughed, "You'll always be my wifey. Carla's a nurse at Trenton General, she's only been here a few months and it's not too serious yet."

Woody made sound that indicated he didn't agree with Manny's statement. "They practically live together, and I caught him checking out rings when we got called in for a false alarm at Franco's Jewelry last week."

Manny blushed and I gave Woody a little shove. "I think it's sweet, and if she makes you happy then you should go for it."

He kissed the side of my head and punched Woody in the arm. "I'm off to meet her, you guys have fun."

We waved goodbye and I took the last sip of my margarita. Woody looked over at me and frowned, "I'm too keyed up to rest. Do you want to go grab some coffee and pie? I know this great diner a few blocks down the road."

I was happily buzzed and slightly hungry so the promise of anything sweet would have encouraged me to go with him. "Sure!"

Woody grinned and led me out of the club and into a black Ford F150. I couldn't help but stare at the door when he opened it for me to climb in. I'd never seen any of the Merry Men drive anything but black SUVs. I knew Ranger owned other cars, but I guess I always just assumed the other guys always drove the SUVs.

My face must have shown some kind of confusion because Woody laughed before giving me a slight nudge to get into the car. "Sorry, darling. You can take the man away from Texas, but you can't the Texas out of the man."

I laughed as he closed the door and jogged around to the driver's side. His phone rang right as he started the car and he answered it with a brief "Yo." I tried to follow the conversation but with his one word responses it was hard so I gave up and just watched the buildings fly by as we made our way to the diner.

He hung up just as we pulled into a parking space and jumped out of the car to come around and open my door. When he opened the door my curious nature couldn't help but ask, "Who was on the phone?"

He grinned. "Manny. He wanted to be sure I knew the consequences of mistreating you in any way. I have very strict orders to keep my hands to myself."

I rolled my eyes at Manny's overprotectiveness but in truth I was used to it. All the guys were pretty protective of me and treated me like a little sister. For the most part I enjoyed it, but sometimes it was a little irritating.

He led me into the diner and into a candy apple red booth in the back corner. He slipped in the far side allowing his back to be against the wall and give him a good view point of the entire establishment and I slid into the bench across from him.

There were laminated menus already sitting on the table so I picked one up and then asked, "So, what's the best pie they have here?"

I half expected him to admit he had never had any pie because I'd never seen most of the Merry Men eat anything that wasn't rabbit food, but he just grinned at me. "Lemon meringue or cherry. I have a hard time deciding most of the time."

My stomach let out a growl and I blushed. "What if we get a slice of each and share?"

He grinned again and I couldn't help but think he was a handsome man. He wasn't handsome like Ranger or Joe. They both had a sense of danger and pure testosterone mixed with a toned body that no woman could help but appreciate, but Woody was handsome in a rugged boy next door kind of way. When he actually let out a full smile he had dimples on each cheek which could easily make a girl swoon and while he wasn't as built as Tank he was definitely well muscled. His eyes were a deep green that reminded me of a forest and his hair was dark brown and shaved into the standard military buzz cut.

He waved down the waitress and ordered our pie and coffee, once she was gone he turned to me and I noticed the care free look that had been on his face all night shifted to one of concern. "Are you alright?"

I glanced down at the black and white checkered table. "Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, you haven't really been yourself tonight. You put on a good face, but whenever you thought we weren't watching you would get this devastated look in your eyes and you seemed sad."

I was still looking at the table and refused to glance up at him. My buzz was starting to wear off with the change in conversation.

I was trying to think of something to say, but I had always been horrible at lying to the guys. I must have taken too long to consider it because he reached across the table and placed a finger under my chin forcing me to look up at him. "You know you can trust me right?"

I responded without even thinking about it, "Of course I do."

That was one thing I had always known. Over the past few months as my relationship with Joe had started taking its final nosedive, I had been hanging out with the Merry Men more and more. They all seemed to understand me in ways no one else ever had.

We were silent for a few seconds and the waitress returned with our slices of pie and coffee. She placed them in the middle of the table and handed each of us a fork before turning away and going to serve another customer.

"My life is a mess." I hadn't meant to say that but it seemed like tonight my mouth might just have a mind of its own.

He frowned and forked a piece of lemon meringue pie as I took a bite of the cheery. "How so?"

He was right the pie was amazing and I couldn't help the small moan that came from my throat as I chewed. "Everything I do ends up a disaster."

"Is this about Morelli?"

"No. Yes. Maybe. I don't know. I think it's a little bit of everything lately. My relationship with Joe is finally over and while the way it ended hurt, I'm actually more relieved than sad. Well, maybe I'm a little pissed too."

He laughed.

"Then there's my job. To everyone around here I'm a joke, but I really do try and when I do succeed the only people that notice are you guys. My mother, Joe, the 'Burg all they see is the failures and the mess ups. No matter what I do I'm always going to be a joke to them." I sighed and took a sip of my coffee.

"Do you believe them?"

"Sometimes. It's hard not to, because they're everywhere. The problem is that they are at least partially right."

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I try and I get my man 99% of the time, but I hate my gun, half the time I forget to charge my stun gun, and I use my hairspray more often than my pepper spray to get away from my skips."

"Are you happy with that?"

I looked out the window and watched the cars drive by for a few minutes before turning back to him.

"No."

"You know all of the guys would be happy to help you train if you asked."

I sighed. "I know, but when I walk into the gym at Haywood I feel overwhelmed and it just seems impossible that I will ever be even half as good as you guys are."

I didn't like admitting I was insecure and part of me wanted to take back my admission, but I knew it was the truth. Walking into that gym had always intimidated me and I had never felt secure enough to work out when all the guys were in the gym. I just felt as if they were constantly watching me even when I logically knew they were all focused on their own work outs.

Woody was silent for a minute and the waitress came back over to fill both of our coffee cups. "I guess I can understand that. What if it was somewhere else? Would you be willing to do some training if you felt more comfortable?"

I picked up my fork and took another bite of pie before nodding slowly, "Sure."

He looked at me thoughtfully, "Would you be willing to come to my house? I have a full gym in my basement and I could train you there."

I felt my eyes widen in astonishment, "Why would you do that?"

He rolled his eyes, "Because I want to help you. Plus every time we hear your name on a police scanner or one of your trackers goes offline we worry. I think if you put your mind to it and really do the training then you'll be great."

I knew it was going to be hard, but I also knew it was something I needed to do if I was planning on continuing my job as a bounty hunter. "Okay."

He gave me a huge grin and I could literally feel his excitement from across the table. "Really?"

I nodded and another thought crossed my mind, "Wait. You don't live at Haywood?"

He shook his head. "No, I grew up on a huge cattle ranch in Texas. I can't handle being confined to one building with no outdoor space for a large amount of time. I own a house in Hamilton Township."

I finished off the last bite of pie. "Do you mind if we keep this a secret? I don't want the guys to get all excited and then be disappointed if I don't do well."

He sighed and grabbed my hand from across the table. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, but I know you can do anything you set your mind to. Not to mention, the guys would support you 100% if they knew what you were doing."

He threw some cash down on the table and I followed him out the door and into his truck. I knew he was right and the guys would support me, but I also felt like this was something I needed to do on my own. It had been a long time since I did something for me. I was going to do this and when I was done I would show everyone who had always said I couldn't do it that they shouldn't underestimate me.

When we got to my apartment he followed me upstairs and cleared my apartment before walking to the door. Just as he was walking out the door he turned back to look me in the eye, "Don't think I forgot about Morelli. I know you didn't want to talk about it tonight, I hope you'll be willing to tell me soon. I'm off tomorrow so I'll come by and pick you up around 10."

Without another word he walked out the door. I locked it and then changed into one of Ranger's t-shirts that had been left behind when he stayed with me previously. My love life was still a mess but at least I was moving forward professionally.

I thought it would make me feel better to know I was finally going to get the training I needed, but somehow everything still felt empty.


	2. Man Up

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story! I believe I have managed to respond to everyone who reviewed the last chapter but for any guests or anyone I may have missed: THANK YOU! Your reviews mean the world to me and keep this story going! I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

Chapter 2 – Man Up

The next week was pure hell. Muscles that I didn't even know I had been screaming at me and every night as I fell into bed exhausted out of my mind. Every morning when I woke up I would question my own sanity as I literally crawled into the shower and allowed the warm water to slowly ease my stiff and aching muscles.

Even with all the suffering, I couldn't help but feel slightly proud of myself as I completed each day of the training schedule Woody had created for me. So far we had only been focusing on getting my fitness level up to what Woody would consider an acceptable range, but he had promised that once I met his standards he would begin to teach me Krav Maga.

We met at his house every night this week when he got off his shift and he would spend two hours working me through my paces before doing his own workout and then going to bed to be ready for the next day of work. I had tried to convince him that it wasn't necessary for him to train me every night and definitely not when he had to work twelve hour shifts back to back, but he would just roll his eyes at me and ignore my comments altogether.

Unfortunately, tonight he had picked up a shift for Manny who had promised to take Carla to her sister's wedding. Part of me was excited to have a night off from the torture, but another part of me was already excited by the subtle changes in my endurance and couldn't wait to keep going; however, I refused to tell Woody that.

So instead of spending the evening at Woody's house I was currently cuddled up on my couch with a pint of Ben and Jerry's watching Ghostbuster's for the millionth time. Even Rex was beginning to get tired of my obsession with this movie.

When my phone rang I prayed that it was one of the girls or at least a lead on a skip because I was feeling the urge to get out of my apartment.

"Yo."

"You busy, Babe?"

A bolt of electricity went straight from my phone to a very sensitive place between my legs and I mentally cursed Ranger's ability to get me hot and bothered by simply saying three words. "Not really, what's up?"

"We got a lead on a high dollar skip. You willing to do a distraction tonight?"

I glanced over at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already fifteen after nine. "How much time do I have to get ready?"

"I'll pick you up in half an hour." And he hung up.

Seriously, was it that hard to say good-bye? I sighed and put my phone down on the coffee table before rushing into my closet. Thankfully, I'd already taken a shower before vegging out on the couch so I could skip that part of my preparation. Ranger hadn't given me a place or any idea what the skip preferred so I decided to go with my best little black dress matching FMPs. I piled my hair on top of my head and allowed a few wisps to fall down around my face and applied minimal makeup with the exception of the three swipes of mascara it would take to get me through the distraction.

By the time I was finished getting ready Ranger was picking my locks and slipping into my apartment. "Babe, you ready?"

I stepped out of my bedroom and watched as his eyes took in my dress and shoes. Ranger was the master of the blank face, but over the years I had noticed I could pick up more and more of his emotions by watching his eyes. Right they were completely black and I knew choosing this dress had been the right decision. From the front it looked fairly plain, but it was practically backless and dipped so low that I was barely able to keep from showing the black lace of my thong. The one thing I knew Ranger loved was being able to touch my skin and this dress allowed him that ability just by standing next to me.

"Babe."

The years had also made it necessary for me to become fluent in Ranger's one word sentences. I knew with that one word, he was really saying: _You look amazing. _

I grinned and followed him out the door. "Thanks. Who's our man?"

He handed me a file he had been holding in his hand. "Rico Fuentes. He's got a couple of counts of rape on him and possession of a deadly weapon."

As we rode the elevator down, I took a look at the file. Rico was definitely not what I would call good looking. He was about sixty pounds overweight and looked like he may not have showered in months. Just looking at the picture made my skin crawl and I already couldn't wait for this distraction to be over.

When the elevator doors opened Ranger led me to the parking lot and we climbed in the Turbo. I spent the ride looking over Rico's rap sheet. He had been pulled over for a routine traffic violation and the officer just happened to notice the shape of the gun barrel tucked into his pants and when he ran the license realized the guy was wanted for raping two girls from Hamilton Township. He didn't seem to be violent and his record didn't show any other offenses. Both counts of rape were done by slipping girls date rape drugs so I would need to be sure to watch my cup closely.

Five minutes later we arrived at Tejano Nights. It wasn't one of the more popular clubs in town, but tonight it seemed to have a pretty decent crowd. Ranger reached over and placed his hand on my bare back allowing it to slide inside my dress and around the front to gently caress the underside of my breast before lightly taping the mike to my skin.

I tried in vain to suppress the moan which built up in my throat when I felt his fingers on skin, but the second the smallest sound escaped me his lips found mine. It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was almost as if we were both so desperate for each other that we couldn't control ourselves any longer. Our tongues fought for dominance and my hands moved to his waist to pull his shirt out of his pants and slide my fingers over his rock hard abs. I gently bit his bottom lip and he groaned as he broke away from my mouth and moved to place light kisses along my neck.

Then his cell phone rang.

And just like that the spell was broken. He pushed back from me and grabbed his phone from his pocket he tucked his shirt back into his pants as he listened to whoever was on the phone and then without saying another word hung it up.

"The guys are in place. You ready?"

No. My body was still on fire and I was still reeling from the feeling of his lips on my skin. But instead of admitting that out loud I just said, "Sure."

"Hal's behind the bar, Tank's at the door, and both Woody and Zero are watching out for you inside. Go get 'em tiger."

I laughed and climbed out the Porche. I took a second to straighten my dress before walking into the club. Tank gave me an almost nonexistent nod as I walked past him and I took a quick glance around to notice Zero playing pool not far from Woody who was sitting at the bar a couple of stools down from our man.

I made my way over to the bar and stood between Woody and Rico. Then I bent over the bar and made an over exaggerated effort to get Hal's attention while at the same time giving Rico the chance to see the lack of fabric on the back of my dress.

It took less than ten seconds for him to reach out and place his hand on my bare back. "Need something to drink, sweet thing?"

Sweet thing? Seriously? It was pretty obvious he was already wasted. His speech was slurred and he swayed slightly as he tried to stand next to me. I gave him a smile and nodded. "A drink would be great."

He turned towards Hal and let out a sharp whistle to get his attention. When Hal looked our way he waved him down and turned to me, "What would you like?"

"A rum and coke would be great."

He repeated the order to Hal who disappeared down the bar to make my drink. Rico turned back towards me once he was gone. "What's a pretty girl like you doing out all alone?"

I sighed and twirled one of my loose curls around my finger trying to appear as if I was already a little buzzed. "I came with a couple of my girlfriends, but they're off dancing with their boyfriends. I was beginning to feel like the third wheel so I left them."

He let his eyes roam my body as Hal slid my drink down the counter in front of me. "You can't tell me that a pretty little thing like you doesn't have a boyfriend."

I took a sip of my drink and grinned. "Who said I was looking? I'm not into commitment."

"Me either." A sly grin covered his face and moved his hand to dip underneath the fabric of dress. "You interested in getting out of here?"

I picked up my glass and downed the contents. "Lead the way."

I followed him as he stumbled his way out of the club and couldn't believe how simple this takedown had gone. As soon as he stepped out of the door, Tank had him pinned to the side of the building and Ranger walked up beside him to help lead him into a waiting SUV.

I stood off to the side trying to make it less obvious that I had been a part of the takedown while I watched as Tank secured Rico into the backseat and cuffed him. I was so focused on the activity that I didn't even notice Woody come up next to me and I nearly screamed when I felt his arm fall around my shoulders.

He laughed at my reaction. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings."

I groaned. "Not you too."

"Are you sore?" 

I rolled my eyes. "I have muscles which I didn't even know existed that are screaming in pain."

He smiled, "Will you forgive me if I promise to give you a massage tomorrow?"

"That depends on how good the massage is."

He gave me a wolf grin and moved his hands to gently massage my shoulders. "I'm very good with my hands."

I let out a small moan as he worked out a knot right below my left shoulder blade. Based on that alone I knew what he said was true. He silently massaged my shoulders until he noticed Ranger heading our way and then he dropped his hands from my back and reached in his pocket to pull out a small piece of paper which he handed to me.

"I meant to give this to you last night. I made you a code to get into my house in case I get held up at work. Feel free to use it anytime you want to work out or just need a place to get away. You're always welcome. Just be sure to destroy the paper after you memorize the code."

I looked down at the piece of paper and felt my eyes widen as I looked back up at Woody. "Are you sure? I don't want to invade your privacy."

He nodded. "Of course I am. I wouldn't give it to you if I didn't want you there."

At that moment, Ranger walked up beside me and gave Woody a small nod which I assumed was a dismissal since he walked away without saying another word. "Ready to go, Babe?"

I nodded and followed him back to the Turbo. The ride back to my apartment was silent and the air in the car was filled with sexual tension that only seemed to grow as we got closer to my apartment. When we finally arrived, he led me silently inside and before the door was even fully closed he was pressing me up against it as one of his hands roamed my bare back and the other moved up my thigh and to the edge of my dress.

His lips found mine and I felt the fire that always seemed to be between us grow into an inferno. His fingertips slipped beneath my dress and brushed against the lace edge of my thong and I felt a moan escape my lips. He took advantages of the involuntary opening of my lips and slipped his tongue into my mouth brushing his tongue against mine in a way that made me want to forget my own name.

Almost.

There was a voice in the back of my mind which urging me to stop and listen, but my body and mind seemed to be on two different pages. His hands on my body felt so right and so good. He lifted me up wrapping my legs around his waist and then carried me into the kitchen and sat me down on the edge of the kitchen counter so that he would have better access to my center. I had to fight to keep from ripping his clothes off and taking him right there. A second later he ground his erection against my throbbing center and I broke our kiss as I threw my head back and let out a long moan and began grinding myself against him again with more force. The action caused him to groan in response and move his lips to the place kisses along my neck.

It was as if the voice in my head that had been whispering to me that this wasn't enough was all of the sudden screaming. The argument that had ended my relationship with Joe came back to my mind and as I sat on the kitchen counter with Ranger standing between my legs and I knew that I couldn't just have a meaningless sexual relationship with him. He couldn't just pick the times and places he chose to climb into my bed because every time he did I just made me feel cheap.

I pushed on his chest and whispered, "Stop."

He continued pressing kisses against my neck only pausing for a second to say, "You don't mean that."

He bit down on my pulse point and then be gently licked it with his tongue before pulling the sensitive skin into his mouth and sucking. The act almost over rode any thoughts I'd had, but I'd already made up my mind and I couldn't do this again only to have him leave me again in the morning.

"I do mean it. Stop." This time I pushed against him more forcefully and he finally stepped away from me.

His eyes were still dark and full of desire, but I could also see some confusion begin to creep in as well. "Babe?"

I took that to mean, _why are we stopping?_ "Has your opinion on relationships changed?"

He frowned, "Is this about Morelli?"

"No. Morelli and I are done. This is about me. You say there's no price for what we give each other, but there is and it just keeps getting higher for me."

His blank face slammed down. "You've never had an issue before."

"I've always had an issue, but I can't show you those feelings or you run the other direction. Every time you walk away from me it hurts a little bit more and I can't keep doing it." I tried to keep my voice even but it still managed to crack. "You know how I feel about you and I can't keep doing this. I don't want you out of my life so you need to make a decision about if we're just friends or if we're something more. I can't be in your bed and remain unattached to you. I'm tired of feeling like the only way a man would want me is if I follow his rules."

He frowned. "Are you saying that I make you feel that way?"

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair pulling out the clip that had been holding it up and letting my curls fall around my shoulders. "Not intentionally and it's partially my own fault because I let myself feel that way instead of standing up for what I want. But can you honestly tell me you would have stuck around if I didn't follow your rules?"

His eyes met mine and he ignored my question. "And what is it you want, Babe?"

"Do you really want to know?" I asked and when he didn't respond I continued, "I want to be with someone who wants to be with me without trying to change me. I want someone who wants to share their life with me and not just have me walk behind them or be there only when they want me."

He watched me silently for what felt like hours but was probably only a matter of seconds. "I'll be in the wind starting tomorrow. Call Tank if you need anything."

What the hell? I watched as he walked to my door and opened it. "So you're just going to walk away from me without even responding? Man up Manoso and tell me what it is that you want."

He didn't turn back to look at me but said, "I'm sorry, Babe. You deserve everything you want and more."

Then I watched as he walked out my door and closed it softly behind him without ever looking back. I stood frozen in place starting at the door for what felt like an hour before I finally managed to make it into my bedroom. I stripped out of my dress before reaching into my drawer and pulling out a t-shirt to sleep in and then I threw it over my head without pausing to see what it even looked like.

It was only a few seconds later that the tears began to fall as I collapsed into my bed, because the truth was as I watched him walk away I realized what it was that I really wanted. And what I wanted had just walked away from me without a backwards glance.


End file.
